Seal-lock for beer-cases.



PATEIITl'iD AUG. 25, 1908.

F. H. WILLIAMS.

Mm 7 CM mm FN m CT.

.[n vek ar fwwsx UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FITZALLAN B. WILLIAMS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

SEAL-LOCK FOR BEER-GASES.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FITZALLAN B. WIL- LIAMS, of Chicago, in the State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Seal-Locks for Beer-Cases, of which the followin is a specification.

My invention re ates to im rovements in means for locking and sealing eer cases and the like, in order to prevent the contents of the case from being tampered within transit.

The object of the improvement is to provide simple, inex ensive, and eflicient lockmg means for sea ed casings or packages, the locking means being adapted to be arranged withln the casing and to lock automatically when the lid is closed and to operate in con unct1on with an easily breakable seal through which the necessary access to the intenor lock is afforded for readily opening the package by one having authority to open it. To this end the invention consists in a pivoted, spring-pressed, bevel-pointed, hook like catch-piece, and a striking-piece having a raised cross-bar, the catch-piece having sufficient extension from its pivotal mountmg to reach across the seal area and engage the striking-piece placed on the lid beyond the same, the construction and arrangement of the parts, and their adaptability to the casing being as shown, whereby the pivoted catch and striking-piece may be a plied to the interior of the casing and its li so as to lock automatically when the lid is closed and to render the pivoted catch accessible when the seal is broken for releasing the lock to open the package without the use of a specially constructed key. a

The invention is illustrated in the accoi panying drawing in which- Figure 1 is a fragmentary sectional elevation of the box or casing, the section being taken on the plane of the opening in the casing and lengthwise through the springpressed catch. Fig. 2 is a section on the line 2 2, of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a detail showing a fragment of the exterior front side of the box in elevation at the opening and seal.

Like signs marked on the drawings refer to like parts throughout the several views.

The numeral 4 is the box or casing, the front side of which near the top is provided with an opening 5. The casing in the present instance is designed to hold a dozen pint bottles of beer. The seal 6 is made of a square of gummed paper of the required quality and size to fit over the opening and Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 8, 1908.

Patented Aug. 25, 1908.

Serial No. 437,242.

adhere to the exterior of the box around the opening over sufiicient area to hold it in place and seal said opening against breaka e under any strain to which it would be subj ected in the ordinary handling of the package in transit.

The box lid 7 obviously may be hinged to the body of the box in any ordinary manner so as to beturned up for opening the box, but in the present instance the rear of the box is provided with a ermanently-secured strip A under which a 0 eat B of the lid slides and engages so as to hold the rear edge of the lid down upon the box.

The pivoted, spring-pressed catch 8 is mounted on a plate 9 provided with screw holes and adapted to be secured to the inside of the front wall of the box. The said plate is cast as a separate piece and has'a central slot at 10 having recesses 11 at opposite sides of the slot and the opposite side of the plate correspondingly raised over the recesses. It also is slotted and recessed at a. The catch is also cast as a separate piece and has a long bar provided with a recess 12 in one side and with trunnions 13 adapted to the recess 11 of the plate 9. When the trunnioned end of the catch is put flat-wise through the slot at 10 of the plate from the top side and turned half round the trunnions will fall into the recess 11 and the parts may then be secured together by inserting a flat spring 14 through the slota until one end impinges upon the bottom of the recess 12 and the other falls into the recess at the top of slot at as seen in Fig. 1. Under this arrangement of the parts, the catch is pivotally engaged with the plate at the trunnions and the upper or hooklike end is put under constant spring-pressure tending to move it toward the front.

The striking-piece comprises 'a cast plate 15 provided with screw holes for securing it to the under side of the box cover, a central opening at 16, and a raised cross bar 17 at the front edge, provided with a striking face which is preferably beveled as seen in Fig. 1.

The bar of the catch 8 is of sufficient length to reach from the point of its pivotal connection with its mounting plate 9 to a point beyond said plate and across the area of the sealed opening 5 and to engage the striking cross-bar 17 secured to the lid beyond the seal area in order to render said catch-bar accessible from the exterior through the seal opening when the seal is broken. The releasing of the lock may thus be effected by a simple pin that may be passed through said 7 In operation the pressing down of the lid causes the cross-bar to impinge upon the bevel end of the catch 8 and force it back against the spring action until the cross-bar passes below the hook-like point and then the catch springs forward into engagement with said cross-bar. To open the package pressure is applied to break the seal and force back the spring catch sufficiently to release the cross-bar 17.

That is claimed is Locking mechanism for sealed packages, comprising a bevel-pointed hook-like bar provided with a recess and trunnions, a doubleslotted, double-recessed mounting plate provided with screw holes, a flat spring arranged in a slot and recess of the plate to impinge upon the bar at one end in the recess thereof to hold the trunnions in recesses of the plate, and to form a pivotal mounting, said bar extending from such mounting to a point at its free end considerably beyond the area of the plate, and a striking-piece having a raised bar adapted to be applied transversely to the pivoted bar at its hook-1ike end.

FITZALLAN B. WILLIAMS.

Witnesses:

ALFRED W. WALsoN, E. A. ANDERSON. 

